Jeff Trotnic: Treat people like they matter

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is one of four profiles on the five finalists for Oshkosh police chief. The fifth finalist, Dean Smith of Suffolk, Va., declined to be interviewed, saying he respects the hiring process and wouldn't want to affect it.

For Jeff Trotnic, being a police chief is about more than just being an administrator who sits behind a desk.

He'd much rather hit the streets in full uniform and hand out stickers to children.

"Although I'm in the administrative side, what motivates me is to get out there and interact with the people," Trotnic said. "It's very important for the community and the police to work together. On top of that, for me specifically, I have a passion for being a positive adult role model in the community.

Chief of the Onalaska Police Department, Trotnic is one of five finalists for Oshkosh police chief but the only one who already holds such a position. On Monday, he will join the four other finalists for a public "meet and greet" at the Oshkosh Convention Center, followed by a day of round-robin interviews with the Police and Fire Commission as well as three stakeholder panels.

Before coming to Wisconsin, Trotnic worked for the Joplin (Mo.) Police Department for 20 years, where he retired as investigations lieutenant in 2008. While in Joplin, he led the Tri-State Major Case Squad, investigating homicides in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. He also served as police chief in nearby Duenweg.

Trotnic knew he wanted to become a police officer at the age of 6 or 7, though being a police officer is much different now than it was when his grandfather was a detective, helping to pioneer fingerprint analysis, he said.

From partnering with the prison system on a program that provides children with bears made by inmates to producing child IDs for families to buying holiday gifts for children in need, Trotnic said he is always looking for "out-of-the-box" ideas to create community partnerships. And no matter what he does, there's always someone not far away who's ready to help, including in the evenings and on weekends.

"Whoever gets me gets my wife," Trotnic said. "She is very, very community oriented as well, and she goes with me everywhere I go for these events."

Another key to being an administrator is staying in touch with employees, said Trotnic, who meets weekly with department staff and does ride-alongs with officers.

"You learn a lot by doing that, and I think leaders have to be not just locked into their office; they have to be out there and be seen," he said.

In what can be a very autonomous job, providing leadership means helping officers develop their own competencies, serving as a mentor and role model and being available for employee feedback, Trotnic said. When it comes to interacting with the public, it is important that officers keep one thing in mind.

"We treat people like they matter; that's the bottom line," he said. "All somebody wants to do is feel like they matter in life."

"All I really want them to do is look professional, act professional and drive professional," Trotnic said. "If you do those three things, if you know those six words, you're going to have a good department."

Reach Nathaniel Shuda at 920-426-6632 or nshuda@thenorthwestern.com; on Twitter @onwnshuda.